GREAT SAND DUNES

Nestled beneath blue sky and 14,000 foot high mountains peaks, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument looks much the same today as when Lt. Pike and his men first crossed the Sangre De Cristo range, descending into the San Luis Valley in the early 1800’s. North America's tallest dunes, The Great Sand Dunes, rise over 700 feet high. The wind shaped these great sand dunes and provide a geologic wonderland, containing 39 square miles of dunes.

The Great Sand Dunes became a national monument in 1932. With the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000, resources now also include alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000', ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands--all habitat for diverse wildlife and Rocky Mountain plant species.

With the help of The Nature Conservancy, the Great Sand Dunes became a National Park.